Thursday, January 12, 2012

A Journey with Jordan

[A note from What the Heck ~ Jordan Comadena (aka @funky2414 on twitter) has graciously agreed to do occasional guest posts for us about life as a minor league player. This is the first of what I hope will be many. Go here to read a little more about Jordan.]

Over the course of the next six months or so I hope to give you an inside look at the day to day life of a minor league baseball player. I hope you enjoy.

When the minor league season ends in September everyone says their goodbyes and heads off to wherever they make their home for the offseason. It’s always nice to get back home and see family, friends, girlfriends, wives etc. that may not have seen a whole lot of you since you left in February. Once everyone gets home and begins to recover from the long season it doesn’t take long for you to realize that you miss your team mates and the camaraderie of the clubhouse. Nothing beats the atmosphere of a baseball clubhouse and when you spend everyday with the same group of guys you develop some strong bonds. That time spent in the clubhouse before and after games is missed more than anything.

Fast forward to mid January and the anticipation of another baseball season is upon us. Spring training is roughly six weeks away and that means a fresh start and the opportunity to get back together with all the guys. With smart phones and social media being the way they are, it’s very easy to keep in touch with a lot of your team mates throughout the offseason, specifically to revive many of the college and NFL football debates that went on in the clubhouse towards the end of the season.

At this point in the year players at every level (that are not off somewhere playing winter ball) are really beginning to ramp up their workouts and beginning to do more baseball specific activities. Pitchers and position players alike are starting to play long toss to get their arms back in shape. Position players are transitioning from tee work and short toss to actual full length batting practice. Getting going with these basic baseball activities is very exciting, knowing that spring training is right around the corner. This next month and a half leading up to spring training will go by very quickly and it is important to make the most of every day. You want to show up to camp as game ready as possible. Spring training is not the time to get yourself in shape; once you get there, it’s full steam ahead towards the start of the regular season.